Folding jack truck mechanism.



E. G.- & A. E. QUIOKBL. FOLDING JACK TRUCK MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 31, 1912.

Patented June '10, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

INVENTORS ATTORNEYS B. G. & A. E. QUIOKEL. FOLDING JACK TRUCK MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 31, 1912.

Patented June 10, 1913.

2 SEEBTS-SHEET 2.

D mam/Toes [W/A/ 6 50/67/62,

' WINE i? in 14 TTORIVE V8 vals.

ED STA EDWIN G. QUICKEL AND ALLEN E. QUICKEL, OF

?ATENT YORK, PENKSYLVANIA.

FOLDING JACK TRUCK MECHANISM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedJune1,1@13;

To all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that we, and ALLEN E. QUICKEL, citizens of the United States, and residents of York, in the county of York and State of Pennsylvania, have made certain new and useful Improvements in Folding, Jack Truck Mechanisms, of which the following is a specification.

()ur invention relates to folding jack truck mechanisms of the type, suitable for lifting and supporting automobiles and other heavy vehicles of the kind ordinarily equipped.v with pneumatic tires.

More particularly stated our invention comprehends a simple and efficient jack mechanism easilyfolded inorder to stow it away in a small space, and provided with shoes in which jacks are placed for the pur-' pose of engaging. the axles of the vehicle in order to raise it slightly hicle from maintaining undue air pressure in the tires. The life time of the tire may be lengthened considerably if the neumatic strain upon the tire may be relaxe' at inter- Our invention is to be employed, therefore, for supporting the weight of the vehicle in order that injury to the tires-may be reduced to a'minimum during the time while the tires are not actively in use, andespecially while the vehicle is resting idly in a garage.

Our invention contemplates a number of improvements in thejack mechanism, whereb the latter is rendered to a greatextent and so arranged that the weight of the veliicleis equalized, asfar as practicable, between various parts which are to support it.

Our invention further contemplates a v folding jack truck mechanism which may be adjusted to any desired width, so as to accommodate itself to axles of various kinds and to,be brought axle at any desired distance apart, ranging say from 12 axles employed upon automobiles.

our invention further contemplates the use of supporting shoes for carrying the 'jacks,-each'supporting shoe resting upon a so-called triple support consisting, instance, of three casters. I

()ur invention moreover contemplates the also of a triple support for the jack mecham this nism employed at each end of, the vehicle;

EDWIN G. QUICKEL- from the-ground or floor, so as to prevent the weight of the vepling rods.

into engagement with an' is provided with an eye 21*integral with to 36 inches, and otherwise adapted to fit all types of front and rear that is to say,

in" this instance is acaster of larger size than the other casters employed.

7 Reference is made to the accompanying drawings forming a partof this specification, and in which like letters indicate like parts.' v

Figure 1 is aperspective showing our improved jack; mechanism complete and'ready for use under one end of the vehicle, Fig. 2 is a plan view of. the same, showingit as folded and ready to i is a cross section through one of the shoes, Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective,-showing one of the shoesand parts immediately ad jacent thereto, Fig. 5 is a fragmentary section, showing portions of the-coupling rods and means for securing. the same together-at different angles,,and- Fig. 6- is a detail, show 1ng in-fragmentary plan aportion of the coupling for connecting together the con Two arms 7 and'8iare made of metal, and each has the form of a fiat bar resting upon one of its edges. Mounted upon the arms-7 and 8 are plates 9 and 10, provided respectively with annular-bearings or eyes 11 and 12. Below these eyes is a caster 1-3 of large size provided with a trailingwheel .14 for engaging the floor or the ground, as thecase may be. The caster is provided with'a stem 15, extending upwardly and 11. Mounted upon-the stem 15 'is'a plate 16, secured thereto by aid of a nut-17- through' the eyes 10 two shoes,each supported as above indicated, and a. third support, which be stowed away, Fig. 3

andnormally rigid relatively to the stem,

so-as to permit the arms 8 to move relatively to each other upon Each arm 7 and8 is provided with a portion 18, bent slightly out of alinenient with the body portion of the bar, and is further the stem 15 as a center. 1

provided with a portion 19 bent to a rightportion 18. Another bar 20 it, and is secured to each bar? or 8 by aid of rivets 22, or other appropriate fastenings.

Two straps 23 and 24, each of substantially U-shape, are secured to each portion ltrand the oppositely disposedbar 20, as. will be understood from Fig. 2, and held in positionby aid of-bolts 25. shaped members 23 and 24 is an angleiron 26, provided with aflange'27 ntegral with it and extending laterally outward from the U-shaped member. Another angle iron 29, somewhat shorter than the angle iron 26, is

angle with the Mounted upon the U- secured to the U shaped members 23 and 24, but on the side thereof opposite the angle iron 26, and is provided with a laterally extending flange 30. Depending from this flange 30 is a caster 31 provided-with a trailing wheel 32. The flange 27 is provided with two casters 28, each having its'trailing wheel 28. The casters 28 and 31 are self adjusting in the sense that their trailing wheels may be turned in any number of planes crossing the'general plane of rotation of the wheels. Located between the bar 20 and the adjacent portion 19 of'the arm 7 is a substantially .U-shaped block 33. Extending through this block, and through the bar 20-and adjacent portion 19 of the arm 7, is a pin 34, provided with an serted as desired. 1 j

The parts just described, and appearing more particularly inFig. 4, together constitute a shoe for supporting one of the jacks,-

the shoe resting upon a triple support, consisting essentially of three self-adjustlng casters. Mounted within the shoe are two racks 36, provided with ribs 37 integral with them and disposed in pairs,'as indicated in Fig. 3.

Jacks are-shown at 38 and are each pro vided with a base 39, this base being of properwidth-to fit between a air ofthe lugs 37, so that the jacks may e shdably introduced within the shoe, as will be understood 'from Fig. 3. Moreover, as there are several pairs of lugs 37, the jackmay be located at any one of a number of different levels at the will of the operator. Again in some instances, the jacks employed may be lower or shorter than inothers, and in such cases, the jack canb'eslipped into either one of the slide-ways constituted by the pair of lugs 37 the jack being thus free to 1adjust itself better to the height of the ax e;

The coupling rods 36 are provided with heads 40 and 41, each having the formindicated in Figs. vided with radially disposed ed to interlock, as indlcated in Fig. 5. A bolt 43 extends centrally through the two heads 40 and 41, and is' engaged by a thumb nut'44, which may be turned, so as to force the two heads tightly together, and thus lock them rigidly in any one of a number of predetermined relative positions. That is to say the thumb nut 44 is loosened, the coupling rods are adjusted to a suitable angle or disposed in alinementwith each other, as desired, and the thumb nut isthen tightened so as to leave the coupling rods rigid.

The operation of our device is as follows :When the mechanism is-not in use it is folded as indicated in Fig. 2. For this purpose the thumb nut 44 is loosened, the shoes are forced oward each other, and now rigidity. In order to lifting and supporting a vehicle, such as an automobile, the thumb nut 44 is loosened,

V lhe thumb nut- 44 being nowtightened, the eye 35, by aid whereof .it may .be withdrawn or in- .be moved sidewise,

hicle or stowed away in the garage.

5 and 6. Each head is pro-. teeth 42 adapt-- occupy the positions indicated and the mechanism, as

a whole, has a fair degree of use the mechanism for 0 acks are placed in the shoes, as indicated in F ig.-3,the' shoes are moved apart to any desired extent, ranging sayfrom 12 to 36 inches so that the mechanism will fit any kind of front or rear axle used upon an automobile, and the upper ends of the jacks are placed against the under side of the vehicle axle. The jacks are now actuated so as to lift the vehicle, so that the tires thereof clear the floor or other supporting surface.

parts connecting the shoes are rendered rigid. Both' axles of the vehicle being supported in the' manner indicated (an apparatus of the kind shown in Fig. 2 being employed in connection with each axle) the vehicle no longer rests with its-weight upon .the tires.

Moreover, by pushing sidewise upon the vehicle, the various ca'sters adapt themselves accordingly, and the Vehicle may or at practically any de-' sired angle relatively to its longitudinal position, and may thus be moved over into a corner of the garage, or otherwise placed as desired. In order to use the vehicle, the jacks are operated, so, as to lower the machine until it rests upon its tires, after which the jack mechanism is removed, as above indicated, and may be placed either in the ve- It will be noted that when the device shown in Fig. 1 is in action the 'weight of the adjacent portion of the vehicle is supported mainly upon two shoes, each having a triple support, and that the jack mechanism, as a whole, rests upon a tu le support consisting of the two shoes an the large caster with which the bars 7 and 8 are connected.

We do .not limit ourselves to the precise 11o construction shown, as variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of our invention. While we show the casters as of ordinary construction, they may be equipped with ball bearings if desired, the substitution of antifriction bearings for ordinary bearings being old and wellknown in this art. P

' Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows v folding jack truck mechanism oom- Y prising a plurality of supporting shoes, an arm rigidly connected wrth each'shoe', said arms being pivotally connected together, and coupling rods extending fromone shoe to another.

2. A folding jack truck mechanism comprising a pair of supporting shoes, arms connected with said shoes and pivotally con- J80 nected together, coupling rods connected with said shoes and provided with heads, said coupling heads being movable at different angles relatively to each other, and means controllable at the will of the operator for securing said heads rigidly together in order to render said couplin rods rigid.

3. A folding jack truck mec anism comprising a pair of shoes, arms rigidly connected therewith and pivotally connected together, a caster connected with said arms at the point of pivotal connection thereof, coupling rods pivotally connected with said shoes and provided with heads, said heads being movable relatively toeach other, for enablin the coupling rods to be adjusted relative y to each other, and means controllable at the will of the operator for securing said heads rigidly together.

4. A folding jack truck mechanism com- EDWIN G. QUICKEL. ALLEN E. QUICKEL.

Witnesses:

WIL IAM H. KUHL, MARGARET M. QUICKEL. 

